Portable Deck

ABSTRACT

A portable deck includes a plurality of legs that have a slot on each side face. An adjustable foot is removably attached to each leg to account for uneven ground surfaces on which the portable deck may be place. At least two braces and at least two rails are generally disposed between the plurality of legs to form a generally rectangular frame. The rails and braces are removably disposed in the slots of the legs. A plurality of planks are removably mounted to and supported by the rails to form a top surface of the portable deck. The portable deck provides a firm, level surface on which to place outdoor accessories.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/778,850, filed Mar. 3, 2006 and entitled “PortableDeck”, the entire subject matter of which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to decks and, more particularly, to aportable deck which is relatively easy to assemble and disassemble andis relatively easily transportable.

The recreational vehicle (RV) industry is a large, thriving industry.Typically, the purchase of an RV is but the first step in thehobby/lifestyle. People who purchase RVs typically purchase severalaccessories for use therewith in order to make the RV experience morepleasurable. Frequently included among these accessories are outdooramenities such as outdoor furniture, outdoor grills, and the like. Theuse of such outdoor accessories often depends on the terrain of thecampsite or parking location in which the RV is located. If the groundis not level or is slightly infirm (soggy from recent rainfall, forinstance), the use of such outdoor accessories is difficult, if notimpossible. Therefore, in at least such circumstances, a firm,relatively level surface on which to place outdoor accessories isdesirable. It is also desirable for such a surface to be able to beassembled and disassembled easily for ease of use. Also, it is desirablefor such a surface to be compactly stored, as space within an RV istypically relatively limited.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly stated, a preferred embodiment of the present invention isdirected to a portable deck that includes a plurality of legs that havea slot on each side face. An adjustable foot is removably attached toeach leg to account for uneven ground surfaces on which the portabledeck may be place. At least two braces and at least two rails aregenerally disposed between the plurality of legs to form a generallyrectangular frame. The rails and braces are removably disposed in theslots of the legs. A plurality of planks are removably mounted to andsupported by the rails to form a top surface of the portable deck. Theportable deck provides a firm, level surface on which to place outdooraccessories.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of theinvention will be better understood when read in conjunction with theappended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, thereis shown in the drawings an embodiment which is presently preferred. Itshould be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to theprecise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective photographic view of an assembled portabledeck in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective photographic view of the portable deck ofFIG. 1 having two planks removed therefrom and displayed on top of theportable deck;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective photographic view of the portable deck ofFIG. 1 having all of the planks removed and having an optional doublerail shown therewith;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective photographic view of the portable deck ofFIG. 1 having the optional double rail of FIG. 3 engaged therewith inplace of a single rail;

FIG. 5 is an end view of a brace of the portable deck of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an end view of a single rail of the portable deck of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an end view of a double rail of the portable deck of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is an end view of a plank of the portable deck of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 9 a and 9 b are bottom side perspective photographic views of adisassembled leg and insert, respectively, of the portable deck of FIG.1;

FIGS. 10 a and 10 b are top side perspective photographic views of thedisassembled leg and insert, respectively, of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11 a, 11 b, and 11 a are a top plan view, a side elevational view,and a bottom plan view, respectively, of an alternate leg similar to theleg of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c are a top plan view, a side elevational view,and a bottom plan view, respectively, of an alternate insert similar tothe insert of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a top side perspective photographic view of the leg andinsert of FIG. 9, the leg and insert being partially assembled;

FIG. 14 is a bottom side perspective photographic view of the leg andinsert of FIG. 9, the leg and insert being fully assembled;

FIG. 15 is a top side perspective photographic view of the insert ofFIG. 9 partially inserted within a single rail of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a top side perspective photographic view of the assembled legand insert of FIG. 14 with the insert fully inserted within the singlerail of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a top side perspective photographic view of a foot of theportable deck of FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a top perspective photographic view of the foot of FIG. 17engaged with the leg of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 19 is a top side perspective photographic view of the portable deckof FIG. 1 disassembled and configured in a bundle for storage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenienceonly, and is not limiting. The words “right,” “left,” “upper,” and“lower” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made.The terminology includes the words above specifically mentioned,derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicate likeelements throughout, there is shown in FIGS. 1-19 a preferred embodimentof a portable deck, indicated generally at 10, in accordance with thepresent invention. The portable deck 10 is intended to be relativelyeasily assembled and relatively easily disassembled and reconfigurableinto a relatively compact bundle 10′ for transport and/or storagethereof.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the portable deck 10, when fully assembled (FIG.1), provides a relatively flat, relatively sturdy top surface. Theportable deck 10 is preferably a four foot by four foot square structurewhen assembled, although it should be evident to one of ordinary skillin the art that the portable deck 10 can be of any size or any shape,provided the portable deck 10 is still capable of functioning asdescribed herein.

A basic configuration of the portable deck 10, as shown in FIG. 1,includes four legs 40, with one leg 40 disposed at each corner of theportable deck 10. As discussed in more detail below, each leg 40preferably has an adjustable foot 50 engaged therewith. The feet 50 ofthe portable deck 10 can be adjusted in the height direction in order toaccount for uneven ground surfaces (not shown) on which the portabledeck 10 may be placed.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the basic configuration of the portable deck10 further includes at least two braces 14 and two single rails 20 thatare generally disposed between the legs 40 to form a generallyrectangular, and preferably square, frame 11. As will be described ingreater detail below, the single rails 20 are preferably oppositelydisposed from one another to form two sides of the frame 11 and thebraces 14 are oppositely disposed from one another to form the other twosides of the frame 11. Preferably, at least the single rails 20 includeflanges 20 a extending outwardly from a side thereof so that, when theframe 11 is assembled, the flanges 20 a extend inwardly toward oneanother. The flanges 20 a preferably function to support a plurality ofplanks 12 therebetween to form the top surface of the portable deck 10.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, alternatively, at least one of the singlerails 20 can be replaced with a double rail 30 to expand the portabledeck 10 from the basic four foot by four foot configuration to analternate, four foot by eight foot configuration (not shown). Although acomplete alternate configuration is not shown explicitly, it should beevident to one of ordinary skill in the art from the attached figuresthat such an alternate configuration would essentially comprise twobasic configuration portable decks 10 linked by a common double rail 30and two common middle legs 40. It should be further evident to one ofordinary skill in the art that more than two basic configurationportable decks 10 can be combined using more than one double rail 30 tocreate further alternate configurations of various sizes and shapes.

It is further contemplated that, instead of or in addition to using adouble rail 30 to expand the basic configuration portable deck 10, twoadditional single rails 20 can be engaged with two adjacent legs 40 ofthe portable deck 10, together with an additional brace 14 and twoadditional legs 40 to form an alternate, four foot by eight footconfiguration (not shown) essentially comprising two basic configurationportable decks 10 linked by a common brace 14 and two common middle legs40. It is still further contemplated that one of the braces 14 of thebasic configuration portable deck 10 can be replaced with an additionalsingle rail 20 having the flange 20 a of the single rail 20 extendingoutwardly away from the center of an alternate configuration portabledeck (not shown). In this way, the alternate configuration portable deckincludes three single rails 20 and one brace 14. Two additional braces14 can then be engaged to the legs 40 of the alternate configurationportable deck on either side of the additional single rail 20 and inline with the original single rails 20 of the alternate configurationportable deck. Two additional legs 40 can then be attached to free endsof the braces 14 with an additional, fourth single rail 20 disposedtherebetween, opposite the third single rail 20, with the flange 20 a ofthe fourth single rail 20 extending inwardly toward the third singlerail 20. Planks 12 can then be placed on the flanges 20 a of the thirdand fourth single rails 20, generally oriented at ninety degrees to theplanks 12 of the alternate configuration portable deck (i.e., theoriginal basic configuration portable deck 10 with one of the braces 14replaced with the third single rail 20). In this way, another alternate,four foot by eight foot configuration (not shown) can be formed withoutthe need to use a double rail 30 to do so. It should be evident to oneof ordinary skill in the art that either of the above-describedalternate, four foot by eight foot configurations can be furtherexpanded in like manner to form portable decks larger than four feet byeight feet in various shapes, including, but not limited to,rectangular, square-shaped, L-shaped, U-shaped, plus-shaped, andcross-shaped.

The double rail 30 is generally similar to the single rail 20, differingin that the double rail 30 includes two flanges 30 a, one flange 30 aextending outwardly from each opposing side of the double rail 30,rather than just a single flange, as is portrayed with respect to thesingle rail 20. In this way, at least one of the single rails 20 can bereplaced with the double rail 30, as shown in FIG. 4, in order toprovide a surface (i.e., the second flange 30 a) extending outwardlyfrom an expandable frame 11′, so that, if additional braces 14, legs 40,and single rail 20 are engaged thereto, additional planks 12 can besupported thereby to create the alternate configuration four foot byeight foot portable deck.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, each brace 14 is preferably an elongatebox-shaped beam, preferably having a rectangular cross section whenviewed from an end thereof. The braces 14 generally function to supportand space the other two sides of the frame 11, 11′ made up by the singlerails 20 and/or double rails 30. The braces 14 preferably have at leastpartially hollow interiors 14 a.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the single rail 20 is preferablygenerally similar to the brace 14 except that it includes the flange 20a extending outwardly from a side thereof. That is, the single rail 20is preferably an elongate box-shaped beam with a preferably generallyhollow interior 20 b. The single rails 20 function primarily to supportthe plurality of planks 12 therebetween on the flanges 20 a thereof,while, at the same time, also spacing the other two sides of the frame11, 11′ made up by the braces 14.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 7, the double rail 30 is preferablygenerally similar to the single rail 20, except that it includes twoflanges 30 a, one flange 30 a extending outwardly from each sidethereof, rather than just one side thereof, as with the single rail 20.That is, the double rail 30 is preferably an elongate box-shaped beamhaving a preferably generally hollow interior 30 b. The double rail 30functions to allow assembly of the expandable frame 11 in that thedouble rail 30 is capable of supporting planks 12 on either sidethereof. The double rail 30 further functions to space the other twosides of the frame 11′ made up by the braces 14.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 8, the planks 12 are generally elongate,preferably open-bottom beams, which are preferably E-shaped in crosssection when viewed from either end. Each plank 12 preferably includes asegmented bottom surface 12 a and a flat, generally continuous topsurface 12 b. The top surface 12 b preferably includes a plurality ofridges or treads 12 c extending upwardly therefrom and running thelength of the plank 12 to enhance grip thereon, thereby decreasing thelikelihood of a person, object, animal, etc. slipping on the top surfaceof the portable deck 10.

Referring to FIGS. 9-12, each of the legs 40 is generally a rectangularparallelepiped having four generally T-shaped slots 40 a (when viewedfrom a top end of the leg 40) formed therein, preferably one slot 40 ain each side face of the leg 40. Preferably, the slots 40 a are open atthe top end of the leg 40. The leg 40 preferably includes a threadedbottom hole 40 b in a bottom end thereof and a threaded top hole 40 c inthe top end thereof.

The slots 40 a of the legs 40 are configured to removably engage inserts42. Specifically, the inserts 42 preferably each include acomplementarily-shaped tongue 42 c disposed on an end thereof. That is,each tongue 42 c is generally T-shaped and sized to be selectivelyplaced within any one of the slots 40 a of the leg 40 through the opentop end of the desired slot 40 a. It is preferred that each insert 42further includes a block-like insert portion 42 a at an end opposite thetongue 42 c and a rectangular end flange 42 b extending outwardly fromthe insert portion 42 a and disposed between the insert portion 42 a andthe tongue 42 c. While the tongue 42 c of the insert 42 shown in FIGS. 9and 10 extends along substantially the entire height of the insert 42,it is noted that the tongue 42 c, and, in turn, the slots 40 a of thelegs 40, need not be that long and can, instead, extend along only aportion of the height of the insert 42 (and the slots 40 a acomplementary distance along the legs 40), as shown in the alternatelegs 40 and inserts 42 of FIGS. 11 and 12, respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 13-16, the insert 42 is shown in various stages ofengagement with the leg 40 and the single rail 20. As described above,the tongue 42 c of the insert 42 slides within a selected one of theslots 40 a of the leg 40 (FIGS. 13, 14, and 16). The insert portion 42 aof the insert 42 engages within an end of the single rail 20, and,although not shown in FIGS. 13-16, other inserts 42 similarly engagewithin the other end of the single rail 20, as well as each of the endsof the braces 14 and double rails 30, as can be seen in FIGS. 1-4.

Referring still to FIGS. 13-16, the insert portion 42 a is placed withinthe interior 20 b of the single rail 20 preferably so that the endflange 42 b abuts the end of the single rail 20 (FIG. 16). It ispreferred that the insert portion 42 a be retained within the end of thesingle rail 20 in a conventional manner, such as, but not limited to, aforce fit, an adhesive, and/or a fastener, such as a bolt, screw, rivet,or some other suitable generally conventional fastener. With inserts 42engaged within both ends of the single rail 20, the single rail 20 isthen able to be engaged with a leg 40 at either end to allow assembly ofthe portable deck 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4 and 18, once the desired number of braces 14,single rails 20, and/or double rails 30 are engaged with the desirednumber of legs 40, caps 44 can be engaged with the tops of each of thelegs 40 in order to retain the corresponding tongues 42 c within theslots 40 a of the leg 40. Preferably, each cap 44 is generallyrectangular or, more specifically, square-shaped, when viewed fromabove, and functions to essentially obstruct or close off the open endsof the slots 40 a at the top end of each of the legs 40. Preferably, afastener 46 is used to selectively retain the cap 44 in engagement withthe top of the leg 40. The fastener 46 is preferably a screw, althoughit is within the spirit and scope of the present invention that anothertype of fastener be used, such as a bolt, for instance.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, each foot 50 includes a generallysquare-shaped plate 51 with a threaded rod 52 extending upwardly from atop surface thereof. Preferably, the threaded rod 52 is attached to theplate 51 in a conventional manner. For instance, it is contemplated thatthe threaded rod 52 be welded to the plate 51 directly or that a nut bewelded to the plate 51 with the threaded rod 51 being threadablyengageable with the nut. Alternatively, the plate 51 can have a threadedhole (not shown) disposed therethrough with which the threaded rod 51 isthreadably engageable. It is further alternatively contemplated that theplate 51 have a through hole (not shown) disposed therein through whichthe threaded rod 52 (in the form of a bolt) can be placed. A nut canthen be threaded down the threaded rod 52 so that it is snug with thetop of the plate 51, thereby engaging the threaded rod 52 with the plate51 by sandwiching the plate 51 between the nut and a head of thethreaded rod 52. It is noted that the above-described manners ofattachment are merely exemplary and that additional manners of attachingthe treaded rod 52 to the plate 51 are also contemplated by the presentinvention.

The threaded rod 52 preferably threadably engages the bottom hole 40 bof the leg 40 and can be used to adjust the height of the leg 40 byrotating the foot 50 with respect to the leg 40. That is, the foot 50can be rotated in a counterclockwise direction (when viewed fromunderneath) in order to threadably engage less of the threaded rod 52within the bottom hole 40 b, thereby increasing the overall height ofthe leg 40, or, alternatively, the foot 50 can be rotated in a clockwisedirection (when viewed from underneath) to threadably engage more of thethreaded rod 52 within the bottom hole 40 b, thereby decreasing theoverall height of the leg 40.

Referring to FIG. 19, the above-described components of the portabledeck 10, when disassembled, can preferably be stacked in a compactmanner and lashed together using tethers 60 to form a bundle 10′. Thetethers 60 are preferably conventional and preferably include adjustablenylon straps 62, the ends of which are releasably engageable using clips64. The clips 64 are preferably generally conventional plastic springclips, although it is within the spirit and scope of the presentinvention that any suitable clips or retaining members be used.Alternatively, it should be evident that the clips 64 could beeliminated altogether and the ends of the straps 62 tied together toconstrain the bundle 10′. Moreover, while it is preferred that nylonstraps 62 are used, it is not intended to be limiting. As such, any typeof strap, rope, cord, chain, etc. could be used to lash the bundle 10′together.

Preferably, each of the above-described components of the portable deck10 are formed out of aluminum. While this is preferred, it iscontemplated that the components be made of a different, suitablematerial. As such, it is within the spirit and scope of the presentinvention that the components of the portable deck 10 be made fromanother metal, such as steel, or a polymeric material, such as plastic.Additionally, it is contemplated that some of the components of theportable deck 10 be made of a material different from other componentsof the portable deck 10. For instance, the braces 14, single rails 20,double rails 30, legs 40, and feet 50 could be made from aluminum andthe planks 12 could be made from a polymeric material. This is but onepermutation of materials of components and is not intended to belimiting. As such, it should be evident to one of ordinary skill in theart that numerous materials permutations are possible for the presentinvention, all of which are contemplated herein.

In use, the bundle 10′ is removed from a storage location and placed ina suitable location for assembly of the portable deck 10. The clips 64are unlatched and the components of the portable deck 10 are removedfrom the tethers 60. If not already attached, the feet 50 are attachedto their corresponding legs 40. The tongues 42 c of the inserts 42 ineach of the braces 14, single rails 20, and/or double rails 30 are thenplaced within the appropriate slots 40 a of the appropriate legs 40 toprepare the frame 11, 11′ of the portable deck 10. Once the frame 11,11′ is satisfactorily assembled, the caps 44 are engaged with each ofthe tops of the legs 40 to retain the braces 14, single rails 20, and/ordouble rails 30 in engagement with their corresponding legs 40. Theplanks 12 are then placed into the frame 11, 11′ so that portions of thebottom surfaces 12 a of each of the planks 12 abut portions of theflanges 20 a, 30 a of the single and/or double rails 20, 30, therebyforming the top surface of the portable deck 10. At this point, if thetop surface of the portable deck 10 is not sufficiently level or if anyof the feet 50 are not sufficiently supporting the portable deck 10 onthe surface or are otherwise out of contact with the surface on whichthe portable deck 10 is placed, one, some, or all of the feet 50 can berotated in the appropriate direction to adjust the overall height of theleg(s) 40 in order to adequately adjust the stability and/or pitch ofthe portable deck 10. Once assembled in this manner, the portable deck10 can be used to support outdoor accessories (not shown), people (notshown), or anything else the user may wish to place on top of theportable deck 10.

When the portable deck 10 is no longer desired to be used, it can bedisassembled by essentially reversing the above steps. The components ofthe portable deck 10 can then be restacked in a compact manner andlashed together using the tethers 60 to form the bundle 10′. The bundle10′ can then be carried back and placed into its storage location forfuture use.

In this way, the portable deck 10 provides a portable, relativelyeasily-stored surface that can be relatively easily assembled anddisassembled. When disassembled, the portable deck 10 is configurableinto a bundle 10′, which is relatively compact for ease of storage. Whenassembled, the portable deck 10 provides for a relatively sturdy, flatsurface on which outdoor accessories, people, and anything else can besupported. The portable deck 10 is especially useful to provide arelatively flat, firm surface for placement on an otherwise infirm (forinstance, soggy) surface or a slightly pitched or uneven surface.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could bemade to the embodiment described above without departing from the broadinventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that thisinvention is not limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but itis intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

1. A portable deck for use with a recreational vehicle, comprising: aplurality of legs removably attached to an adjustable foot to accountfor uneven ground surfaces on which said portable deck may be placed,each leg of said plurality of legs having a slot on each side face ofsaid leg; at least two braces and at least two rails generally disposedbetween said plurality of legs to form a generally rectangular frame,said rails and braces being removably disposed in said slots of saidlegs; and a plurality of planks removably mounted to and supported bysaid rails to form a top surface of said portable deck, wherein saidportable deck provides a firm, level surface on which to place outdooraccessories.
 2. The portable deck of claim 1, wherein each adjustablefoot includes a generally square-shaped plate and a rod, said rodextending upwardly from a top surface of said plate.
 3. The portabledeck of claim 2, wherein each rod threadingly engages a bottom hole ofeach leg, each foot is rotated to either increase or decrease a heightof said portable deck.
 4. The portable deck of claim 1, wherein saidrails include at least one flange, said planks being supported by saidflanges.
 5. The portable deck of claim 4, wherein at least one of saidrails include at least two flanges extending outwardly from eachopposing side of said rail, said at least two flanges of said at leastone of said rails allow alternate configurations or various sizes andshapes of said frame.
 6. The portable deck of claim 1, wherein saidbraces and rails are hollow and have an opening at each end.
 7. Theportable deck of claim 1, further comprising inserts removably engagedat a first end with one of said legs and removably engaged at a secondend with one of side braces or rails.
 8. The portable deck of claim 7,wherein said first end of each insert includes a tongue extending from aflange and said second end of each insert includes an insert portion,each tongue engages a slot of said plurality of legs and each insertportion engages an interior of one of said at least two rails when saidportable deck is assembled.
 9. The portable deck of claim 1, whereineach of said plurality of legs includes a threaded bottom hole and athreaded top hole, one of said adjustable foot engages said bottom holeand a cap engages said top hole when said portable deck is assembled.10. The portable deck of claim 1, wherein said at least two rails areoppositely disposed from one another to form two sides of said frame andsaid at least two braces are oppositely disposed from one another toform the other two sides of said frame when said portable deck isassembled.